Copy editing is the faster, more streamlined approach to the editing process. Perhaps you have dabbled in editing yourself or feel confident enough that the structural content of your manuscript does not require fine-tuning. If this is you but you often feel that perhaps your spelling and grammar may need polishing before the final generation of your novel, then a copy-edit is for you.

At Shadow Ink Press we do recommend a structural edit if you have no formal training in this profession, however, we do understand the need simply for a second set of eyes to peruse documents, novels or even newspaper and magazine articles.The copy-editing process is as follows:

A 50% deposit is paid directly to Shadow Ink Press before any commencement of work as well as a ‘Standard Agreement’ which outlines what will and won’t be provided along with guidelines for the author to follow. Once the deposit has been received and the agreement signed, the editor will be in direct contact with the author either by phone or e-mail depending on geography. During this initial meet and greet, the editor will ascertain the author’s preferences for the process; the timeline in which they are expecting the completion of work and any other questions either party feels needs to be tackled before beginning.

Unlike structural editing, there are only two basic processes to be executed. In this first stage the document is corrected during the first read-through. Changes and comments will be added via track changes or written in a double-spaced manuscript for the author’s review. There is no structural edit—simply put—content or suggestions regarding characterisation, plot adjustments or layout will not be tackled by the editor. If there are any glaringly obvious mistakes, the editor may advise the author of these discrepancies, but this is a case-by-case basis and at the discretion of the editor.

Now that the final stage of editorial corrections is complete, Shadow Ink Press will send the balance invoice as well as a ‘Completion of Work Waiver’ that will need to be signed and returned with payment within seven business days.

The corrected manuscript is either mailed or e-mailed back to the author for their perusal. As there is only one round of editing for this process, the author should take the time to carefully consider the editor’s choice of corrections and decide whether or not it is right for their manuscript. If there are any more issues or concerns, the author is more than welcome to address these via e-mail or phone to finalise the entire process or clear up any miscommunication errors. The ‘Completion of Work Waiver’ must be returned at this time.

Again, at Shadow Ink Press we’d also be more than happy to assist you with any of your typesetting, cover design and publishing needs. We also make it our mission to ensure our clients are attended to at every step of the way, so if at any time you need further clarification regarding any stage of any product process with this company, our friendly staff will always be happy to assist.

We also understand that time constraints are of constant concern for any busy author, thus we make your manuscript our priority and will discuss possible time frames required in order to complete a copy-edit within a timely fashion. However, there are the occasional extenuating circumstances which will naturally be disclosed to the author either before the process begins or as soon as possible so as not to cause unnecessary delays.